Informational Interviews

I have worked in retail banking for the past 10 years. I'm currently a manager of a branch of a mid-sized community bank, the second community bank for which I have worked. The job is not challenging, and the work I do has so little impact on people’s lives that it depresses me. I've been looking for the past five years for a position in another field and I am having no luck.

My undergraduate degree is in philosophy, and I have been working in mortgage banking as a loan officer for 2 years. I would like to become a chartered financial analyst and will start studying for the Level I exam in June. I was told that once I pass the first exam, I would be able to find a job at an analyst firm or bank to get the necessary experience to get the charter. Is this true? Would you advise going back to school for a finance degree? Most of my credits will not transfer as they are from a university based in Rome.

I have worked as an auditor/accountant for the past 10 years and I currently work for one of the Big Four firms. Within the last two years I have decided that I have no desire to continue on this path, although I am not completely sure where I would like to end up. My interest right now lies in Human Resources as a compensation analyst. I have no compensation experience but I do have experience in analyzing data and critical thinking. What is the best way for me to break into this field? I realize that I would most likely have to take a pay cut also and I'm okay with that as long as I'm rewarded appropriately.

I am changing careers and having a hard time finding an entry level position. I am trying to get into web design and have some experience. I have been going on interviews for little over a year but have had no feedback from my interviews, and they don't even send an email to say they don't want me. Chicago.craigslist.org is a good resource for jobs and I also scan Monster, Careerbuilder and any other leads. I am becoming frustrated and would like some advice.

Networking and more face to face and direct contact with possible employers can be helpful. So networking is always a consideration - and a stronger one than spending all your time perusing the internet sites.

However, you might also want to explore your interviewing techniques, your follow up techniques and other areas of your job search. I would recommend that you meet with a counselor or attend a seminar that can give you an opportunity to have a mock interview and get some real feedback.